Readers have caught “The Da Vinci Code” fever – all over again.
Dan Brown’s 2003 novel returns to No. 1 on the USA Today best-selling books list, a spot it last held almost two years ago.
The reason: Publisher Anchor shipped 5.7 million paperbacks (in both mass market and the larger trade paperback size) last week in anticipation of the May 19 movie version starring Tom Hanks.
That’s just the beginning. All of Brown’s earlier novels (already best sellers, thanks to “Da Vinci” success) have been repackaged with a new look, which is helping the titles climb the list this week:
No. 9. “Angels & Demons” (2000): 1.5 million paperbacks printed by Simon & Schuster.
No. 21.”Deception Point” (2001): 900,000 paperbacks printed by Simon & Schuster.
No. 69.”Digital Fortress” (1998): 600,000 paperbacks printed by St. Martin’s.
Also fresh in bookstores: “The Da Vinci Code: Special Illustrated Edition” (2004) and “Angels & Demons: Special Illustrated Edition” (2005).
On top of all this, Doubleday just released 25,000 “Da Vinci” hardcover copies, and that’s “after 104 reprints and 12 million hardcover copies in three years,” says Doubleday’s Suzanne Herz.
The trifecta of “Da Vinci” selling in mass market, trade paper and hardcover at once is not necessarily unusual, says Barnes & Noble’s Bob Wietrak.
Wietrak points to “Seabiscuit: An American Legend,” which sold well in various formats when the movie came out in 2003. ”
“Da Vinci” is following that kind of excitement,” he says. “As the movie grows closer, (Brown’s) sales will go up.”
Brown has been in the news for more than the movie. “Holy Blood, Holy Grail” co-authors Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh lost a court case, suing “Da Vinci” publisher Random House, saying Brown “appropriated the architecture” of their book.
Now, Baigent is on the best-seller list at No. 25 with his new book, “The Jesus Papers: Exposing the Greatest Cover-Up in History.”
At Denver’s Tattered Cover Book Store, buyer Margaret Maupin was surveying new books connected to the phenom, such as “The Da Vinci Kit: Mysteries of the Renaissance Decoded,” by Andrew Langley (an “interactive book”) and parody “The Da Vinci Cod and Other Illustrations to Unwritten Books,” by Chris Riddell.
“It’s just amazing,” Maupin says.
